Tangled in Stars

Poems by
Ethelwyn Wetherald

 

THE CHICKADEE

          Stout-hearted bird,
          When thy blithe note I heard
          From out the wind-warped tree—
                   Chick-a-dee-dee—
                   There came to me
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A sense of triumph, an exultant breath
Blown in the face of death.
For what are harsh and bitter circumstances
When the heart dances,
And pipes to rattling branch and icy lea
10
                   Chick-a-dee-dee!

          Sing loud, sing loud,
          Against that leaden cloud,
          That draggeth drearily,
                   Chick-a-dee-dee.
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                   Pour out thy free
Defiance to the sharpest winds that blow
And still increasing snow.
By courage, faith, and joy art thou attended,
And most befriended
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By thine own heart, that bubbleth cheerily,
                   Chick-a-dee-dee! [Page 30]